Canada yesterday rejected a US plan to let travelers to the US pre-clear immigration & customs on the Canadian side of the land border, saying Canadian law does not require anyone not charged with a crime to be fingerprinted, as the Americans demand. Stockwell Day, Canadian minister of public safety, issued a terse statement, saying the deal, known as the land pre-clearance pilot project & meant to relocate US & Canadian customs officers on the other country's territory, is all but dead. "Canada will not consider any proposal that does not comply with Canadian law. From early on in the negotiations, both parties agreed that an agreement would respect the laws of the country hosting the pre-clearance area," Mr. Day said. "Canadian & US laws differ in terms of the conditions under which fingerprints can be collected," he said. "This proved to be an obstacle in reaching an agreement. Canada will not consider any proposal that would diminish the basic individual rights of Canadians."... http://www.washingtontimes.com

Cloistered nuns at a convent in Sicily have decided that their vow of silence may rule out gossiping with locals or telephoning old friends, but it does not exclude going online to swap emails. The 12 Cistercian nuns of the 13th-century Santo Spirito convent in Agrigento have set up a website and are happy to take questions about what it is like to pray for hours in silence every day. The sisters, who speak to visitors, if pushed, through a grille, are being bombarded with inquiries at santospiritoag.com, said Sister Maria, who agreed to answer questions over the phone. Would-be nuns can receive advice from Santo Spirito's novices on the lifestyle they might expect, said Maria. "We also wanted to set up the site so that people could email to ask us to say prayers for them, as well as to show the world what our mission is here," she said. "We hope to show that there is some good on the internet and not just bad things."...http://www.guardian.co.uk/religion/Story/0,,2066752,00.html

The Rev. V. Gene Robinson became the Episcopal Church's first openly gay bishop. Now, he and his partner want to be among the first gay couples in New Hampshire to officially unite under a soon-to-be-signed civil unions law. New Hampshire is set to become the nation's fourth state to offer civil unions for gay couples after legislation approved by the state Senate on Thursday was sent to Gov. John Lynch, who has said he would sign it. ``My partner and I look forward to taking full advantage of the new law,'' Robinson told The Associated Press. Robinson, 59, was elected the ninth Episcopal bishop of New Hampshire four years ago, making him the church's first openly gay bishop. His elevation divided the Anglican community. ...http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,,-6591743,00.html

The Chinese premier pledged Friday to phase out tax breaks and discounts on land and electricity for highly polluting industries, saying the country's environmental situation was grim and required urgent action. ``Our country is a major coal producer and consumer, and reducing polluting emissions is a responsibility we should bear,'' Premier Wen Jiabao said. China is a major contributor to greenhouse gases, mainly carbon dioxide, which are blamed for damaging the ozone layer and contributing to global warming. The country had been forecast to surpass the U.S. as the world's top emitter of greenhouse gases in 2010, but its economic growth has pushed the date forward, according to the head of the International Energy Agency. The prediction has refocused attention on China's pollution policies and its contribution to global warming....http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6591843,00.html

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that US plans to build a missile defence system in eastern Europe would raise the risk of "mutual destruction". Poland and the Czech Republic are keen to allow the US to site missile bases and radars on their territory. Mr Putin spoke a day after threatening to halt involvement with a treaty limiting conventional arms in Europe. "The threat of causing mutual damage and even destruction increases many times," he told Russian media. "This is not just a defence system, this is part of the US nuclear weapons system," the Itar-Tass news agency quoted him as saying. Mr Putin was speaking after meeting Czech President Vaclav Klaus. Mr Putin has taken a tough line in recent months over the US plans for missile defence...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6599647.stm

The United States and its allies raised the prospect on Friday of adapting a U.N. plan for the independence of Serbia's breakaway Kosovo province to address criticism by Russia, which could block the move.Diplomats said it was discussed at NATO talks in Oslo. "The U.S. and others said they were ready to accommodate some concerns about the (Kosovo) Serb minority without compromising the broad principles of the Ahtisaari proposals," said one diplomat after the NATO foreign minister talks. Russia has backed Serbia in vehemently opposing the plan drafted by former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari, and there was wide recognition at a NATO meeting in Oslo that Serb concerns had to be addressed. ...http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=3087879